


Put On Your Hard Hats and Invisible Gloves

by Chash



Series: I Only Want to Make You Happy [1]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Kid Fic, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-03-19
Packaged: 2018-05-27 15:05:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6289282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chash/pseuds/Chash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Raven can't say she's really shocked that Bellamy ends up falling for a girl with a kid. Honestly, it makes sense. What makes less sense is when she and her girlfriend realize they're into the kid's dad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Put On Your Hard Hats and Invisible Gloves

It doesn't really surprise Raven that Bellamy's new girlfriend has a kid, not once she's thought about it. If there's a type of guy who would date girls with kids, it's Bellamy. He _would_ date a single mom.

"That is the weirdest stereotype I've ever heard," Bellamy says. "You're acting like _girls with kids_ is a fetish of mine or something. I didn't know she had a kid when I started flirting with her. It just wasn't a deal breaker for me when I found out she did. Don't be weird about it, okay?"

"What, me?"

"I'm serious," he says, and Raven sobers, glances at Gina.

"Gina, Bellamy's serious about a girl."

Gina comes over and rests her chin on Raven's shoulder. "Are you trying to make me jealous?" she asks Raven.

"Why would _you_ be jealous?" Bellamy asks her, grinning. "You're the one who had a new girlfriend within like a month of us breaking up. Me, I've been heartbroken and alone for--"

"Uh huh. _Heartbroken and alone_. Sure."

"Anyway, yeah, I have a girlfriend. She's amazing. I'm serious about her. When you guys inevitably meet her, please try not to imply that I'm just dating her because she has a kid." He rubs the back of his neck. "It's been a while since she was serious about anyone too, and the kid is part of why, so I want to be, uh--yeah, I like kids, I like _her_ kid, but that's not really related to how I feel about her."

"Holy shit, Bellamy's in love with a girl," says Gina.

"Right?" says Raven. "Okay, so, what happened to the kid's dad?"

"Nothing happened to him. He's still around. He's cool."

"So, what happened to her and the kid's dad?"

"I didn't realize my love life required this much examination," he grumbles. "Seriously, this is not a crisis situation. Do you think she's going to get back together with her kid's dad and break my heart? Is this you guys being worried about me? Because that's sweet, but you could just act like you're concerned instead of whatever's happening right now."

"You're not worried?" asks Gina. "They have a kid together."

"Nope. Look, they dated in high school. Okay, according to Clarke _dated_ is too strong a word. They slept together a couple times after graduation, just to see what sex was like, and Clarke was pretty sure she liked girls and wanted to make sure she liked guys too, but it wasn't anything serious. Clarke ended up pregnant, their parents were incredibly pissed, and they decided they wanted to keep the baby anyway, even though it got them both nearly disowned. They're really close, best friends, but--yeah, absolutely nothing romantic."

"So she had the kid when she was, what, eighteen?" Raven asks.

"A few months after she turned nineteen."

"And she's how old?"

"A year younger than you are, twenty-seven. Lyra's eight."

"Jesus," says Raven.

"I really don't understand your emotional responses to my relationship. You knew she had a kid, I don't know if the issue is that she's too young or the kid is too old. Or is she too old? Is the kid too young? What's your issue now? I like her, stop being weird."

"I'm just having trouble imagining having a kid who's in, what, second grade? Jesus. How do you feel prepared for this?"

"I _like her_ ," says Bellamy, with some despair. "Seriously, how is this confusing? She's smart and funny and gorgeous. Honestly, if she didn't have a kid I'd probably be even more gone." He puts his head down on the bar. "Can you just lay off? It's not _funny_."

"Oh wow," says Raven. 

Gina scratches Bellamy's hair, which is probably more helpful than Raven's general shock. "So, this is it, huh?" she asks him, soft.

"It's new," Bellamy hedges. "I don't want to jinx it. But--yeah. I hope this is it."

"Okay," Raven says. This is uncharted territory for Bellamy. "Yeah. We'll be nice."

*

Raven met Bellamy Blake fulfilling her language requirement at college. Like her, Bellamy was a part-time student who had started school late; like her, he was darker than most of the rest of the class, and everyone therefore assumed he already knew Spanish, even though Raven is sure he's in no way latino. They at least had an excuse with Raven; her last name is Reyes, and if her dad hadn't died, maybe he would have actually taught her something. 

But Bellamy's accent was even worse than hers, so after three weeks of people asking him for homework help, she flopped down next to him before class and said, "So, Southeast Asian, right?"

"Is this how you start all your conversations? Just name random geographical regions? I'm into sub-Saharan Africa, but whatever does it for you is cool."

"Everyone thinks you're latino, because they're idiots."

"Oh, yeah. I'm biracial. My dad was Filipino, apparently."

"Nice. My dad was apparently Mexican."

"Cool," he said, and offered his fist. She bumped it. "So, that's why you suck at Spanish?" he asked. "Because your dad left?"

"He died. But same basic idea, yeah."

"So there's literally no benefit to making friends with you."

"I'm pretty hot."

He snorted. "True. Good reason."

They had slept together once, quick and fun, and it had been good, but Bellamy had been clear it couldn't be more than a one-time thing. She found out later it was because he was raising his little sister, and just didn't have any _time_ , even if she was almost eighteen. And, as much as Raven liked Bellamy, and even Octavia, she was definitely relieved that he wasn't looking for some sort of co-guardian girlfriend. Raven's pretty good, as a big-sister type, but she doesn't much like kids. 

Which is probably part of why Bellamy's new girlfriend is so baffling to her. She used to think she'd want kids when she was older; now she's wondering if there's any point in her life where she'll feel ready. If she could be ready _soon_. Because--she _does_ love Gina; she knows that much. She thinks Gina might be it for her, and if Gina wanted kids, she might have to think about it. Because as much as kids freak her out, she wouldn't want to lose Gina over it.

She's never thought much about deal breakers, not in those terms. In the past, it's never been hard to find reasons not to stay with people, not since it ended with Finn. It was easy to just have a one-night thing with Bellamy, easy to let Wick go when she realized he was more serious than she was. The real sticking point with Gina had come before they ever started dating, when Raven hadn't been sure she could really _date_ a girl. 

As it turned out, all she had to do was try. Gina said they could take it slow, and she'd stuck to her word. By the time Gina finally kissed her, Raven was so ready she was aching for it, and by the end of the night she had absolutely no doubt that she was into women.

"Do you want kids?" she asks Gina, once they're back home and curled together in bed. She hasn't been able to stop thinking about it since Bellamy said Clarke might be _it_ for him. 

Gina laughs. "Did Bellamy freak you out that badly?" 

"I know he's old and weird, but this is extra old and weird, right?"

Gina shifts in her arms, turning around so she can nuzzle Raven's neck. "Just because his girlfriend has a kid? He's been talking about her a lot. It can't be a surprise that he really likes her."

It's a good point. They've both been enjoying the saga of Bellamy's crush, starting with his complaining about the barista at his new coffee shop who could not do anything right, which was obviously a cover for some kind of feelings, because he _kept going back_. And then she started becoming _Clarke_ in his stories, someone with strong opinions who loved making fun of him, and, yeah, Raven had seen it coming. When Bellamy had gone silent about her, she'd actually assumed Clarke turned him down.

Instead, she'd told him about her daughter and they started dating, and he'd kept quiet about it because they were feeling it out, seeing if they could make it work. And, apparently, they can.

"Not a surprise," Raven agrees. "I'm happy for him. But it makes you think, right? Or is that just me?"

There's a pause, and then Gina says, "I know you're weird about kids."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You have been listening to yourself tonight, right? It's not subtle."

"I don't--pregnancy freaks me out, I don't like babies, and the idea of another human being dependent on me is fucking terrifying. And my mom was so shitty. I don't know how Bellamy ever figured out how to take care of people."

"I think if you wanted kids, you'd be a good mom," Gina declares, with a level of confidence that is honestly disconcerting. "But if you don't want kids, I don't mind. My sister's engaged. Between her and Bellamy we're probably going to be drowning in nieces and nephews."

It makes Raven's breath catch, it's so easy. Even though it's been years since her family was just her and Finn, she still has trouble believing sometimes how lucky she is. How much she gets.

"So, you want what I want," she murmurs, catching Gina's mouth with her own.

"Mm, let's not get carried away. Case-by-case basis. I don't trust your judgement when it comes to pyrotechnics. But yeah, for kids? I want what you want." There's a pause. "And I want you to lay off Bellamy. Just a little."

"He has a _girlfriend_. And a _kid_."

She laughs and curls into Raven. "Well, I did say just a little."

*

The first time she meets Bellamy's girlfriend, she also ends up meeting Bellamy's girlfriend's daughter, and Bellamy's girlfriend's daughter's father, and she talks to them enough to learn all their names, which is probably good, because Bellamy's girlfriend's daughter's father really is a mouthful.

It's June, and Bellamy's just started summer vacation, which means, apparently, that he's hanging out at his girlfriend's coffee shop basically non-stop, working on his masters' in a booth and flirting with her when he needs a break. So if she wants to see him, she has basically no choice except to meet Clarke too. Which isn't bad or anything, she's just not confident about her ability to be a cool, supportive friend. Is she supposed to try to make him look good? Their entire relationship is based on affectionate mockery. She doesn't know how to make him look good.

But Bellamy's serious about this girl, so she figures she'd better suck it up and meet her at some point. And she misses Bellamy. Avoiding him because she's kind of bad with new people seems like a bad plan.

Clarke Griffin's coffee shop is small and cute, with a bunch of mismatched, comfortable seating and full bookshelves. It's easy to figure out why Bellamy wandered in there, and when she sees the pretty blonde girl behind the counter has a nametag reading _Clarke_ , it's also easy to figure out why he developed a crush.

It's mildly terrifying to see Bellamy sitting on the couch with a small child tucked into his side, reading to him, but only because Bellamy didn't _warn her_ that a kid would be involved. He just said he'd be at the coffee shop.

He doesn't notice her, so she bypasses him and goes to the counter. It's eleven a.m. on a Monday, which is apparently not a busy time for them, and Clarke is just hanging out, blatantly staring at Bellamy. It's cute, and even cuter when she snaps to attention with a flush when she notices Raven.

"Hi, what can I get you?"

"Not sure. I don't want to be a tattletale, but I'm pretty sure I've heard Bellamy complain about literally every drink on your menu."

Clarke laughs, relaxes instantly, and gives Raven a conspiratorial smile. "He definitely hasn't, because he refuses to ever drink tea. Even the _good tea_ ," she says, loud and pointed enough that Bellamy looks up.

"Tea is gross, Clarke," he says. "Hey, Raven."

"You have deep-seated tea prejudices that you need to deal with, Bellamy," Clarke says. "I'm telling you this for your own good. It's a personal growth thing. You're limiting yourself as a person."

"Uh huh. That's a real concern for me."

"Go back to reading, we're going to talk about you behind your back."

"Solid plan," he says, and does turn his attention back to Lyra. "Ignore your mom. Tea is gross." And then he smiles at her in a way that Raven has never seen him smile before. "Sorry for interrupting. Keep going."

It's such a private moment she has to turn away, but it's not much of an improvement, because Clarke's expression is just as soppy. Bellamy loves this girl and her daughter. Like, a lot. Raven knew it, but it's still weird to see live and in person.

"So, I'm Raven," she says, offering her hand.

"Clarke. Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

"Same. Do you have a favorite tea Bellamy refuses to drink? My usual thing is to be his friend who's obviously cooler than him and everyone likes me better, so--"

"Yeah, that can't be hard," she says. "So, for novice tea drinkers, I'm a big fan of the fogs."

"I have no idea what that means."

"Tea lattes, basically. You get a base tea, some flavored syrup, and steamed milk. I feel like you'd like Bombay fog? Chai, cinnamon, and steamed milk."

"That does sound pretty awesome."

"See? I have excellent taste." She starts on the drink, and Raven leans on the counter, letting herself relax. 

"Clearly. You know, I was worried I was going to have to pretend like my entire relationship with Bellamy wasn't sarcasm-based. That's why I was putting off meeting you."

"Aren't all of Bellamy's relationships sarcasm-based?"

"Pretty much. Or fraternal, but I figured if he thought of you like a little sister you guys wouldn't be dating. Because it would be creepy."

"Yeah, I think Wells gets the fraternal treatment most of the time."

"Wells?"

"Lyra's dad. I assume Bellamy filled you in on that?"

"High school fumbling, accidental pregnancy, disapproving parents, heroically raising a child alone?"

"Basically, yeah." She smiles at Bellamy, warm and a little wistful. "It's been a rough few years, but I feel like we're all kind of on track by now. Wells got to do the college thing, my business is doing pretty well, Lyra's better adjusted than I was at her age, I'm pretty sure. So, yeah. We're good."

"Is that why you decided to start dating?"

She laughs again, ducking her head on a flush. " _Decided_ is such a generous word. I didn't decide to start dating any more than I decided to stop dating. Which I didn't. I hadn't been having much luck, but--it's not really like being a single parent, since I've got Wells, you know? It wasn't hard to set up date nights. But it's weird for a lot of people, I guess. Not only do I have a kid, but I live with the kid's dad. People have trouble believing there's absolutely nothing romantic between us, but there really isn't. He's basically like my brother."

"You know, I actually totally get that. Bellamy and I slept together once back in college, and he used to date my girlfriend, but at this point, he's really family."

Clarke grins. "For someone who was worried about not being able to talk him up, you're doing pretty well."

"I mean, he's a disaster half the time, but in a fun way, right?" She pauses. "And never when it counts."

"Basically." She slides Raven's drink across the counter. "So, is this just a visit where you size me up and tell me Bellamy's a delicate flower who needs love and appreciation on the inside? Because I definitely already noticed."

"Nope. This is just me wanting to hang out with Bellamy, and he's here all the time." She glances back at the couch. "But that's adorable, I don't really want to interrupt."

"Wells is coming to pick her up in like fifteen minutes. She's got soccer practice."

"Is it really weird?" Raven can't help asking.

Clarke doesn't seem fazed. Raven kind of wonders if she ever seems fazed. "My whole life?"

"Pretty much. No offense."

"When I think about it, yeah. Like, remembering when I was in high school, what I was planning to do? That's really weird. I was going to go to college and become a doctor, and now I own a coffee shop. But I live with my best friend, I've got an amazing daughter I love, and I just started dating this guy I really like. So it's hard to feel upset about that, you know?"

"Not really, but you're the expert, so I'll take your word for it."

They're chatting about _Elementary_ when Bellamy comes over, lifting Lyra up onto the stool next to Raven and leaning across the counter to give Clarke a quick kiss.

"She did a lot of reading, she thinks she deserves a blackberry seltzer," he tells her. "Don't want her dehydrated for soccer."

Clarke nods, very serious. "What did you guys read?"

" _The Wee Free Men_ ," says Lyra. Her voice is clear and bright, and she has her dark hair in two neat pigtails. She's cute. "Bellamy brought it. We didn't read all of it, but it's good. We're gonna keep going tomorrow."

"Awesome. I haven't read that one, you guys are going to have to fill me in." She regards her daughter. "How about this, you get water now and seltzer after practice."

Lyra seems to really be thinking it over. "Deal," she finally says, and she and Clarke actually shake on it.

Bellamy swivels Lyra's stool so she's facing Raven, leaning in close over her shoulder. Raven can't help wondering how you get so comfortable with a _kid_ , which doesn't even make sense. They're just small people, not some weird foreign species.

"Hey, Lyra, I want you to meet someone. This is my best friend," he tells Lyra. "Her name's Raven."

Lyra presses back against him, a little shy, and Raven offers her a smile. "Hi. I've heard a lot about you."

"Really?"

"You know Bellamy, he doesn't know how to shut his mouth."

"Thanks," says Bellamy. "I'm Raven's best friend too, but she doesn't like to admit it."

Lyra turns around in her stool to look up at Bellamy. "Why not?"

"It's more fun this way." He grins. "Don't worry, I don't mind. But I wanted you to meet her. She knows _everything_ about cars."

That gets Lyra's attention. "Really?"

"Not quite everything, but a lot. I own a mechanic's store, I fix cars. You like cars?"

Lyra nods vigorously. "I got a tool set for my birthday, and Dad got me a lot of old computer parts to take apart too, but cars are my favorite. And planes. Engines and stuff."

"Huh," says Raven. She's not sure why she's surprised; at Lyra's age, she was really into engines too. But she was used to being the only one.

Bellamy's looking smug, which is obviously unacceptable, but Raven's not enough of an asshole to quash a young girl's enthusiasm for mechanics just to spite him.

"So, what's in the tool set your dad got you?" she asks, and Lyra is off, just like that.

She's so engrossed in listening to the projects that Lyra's completed that she doesn't hear the door, and she nearly jumps when someone clears their throat.

"Hey, sorry I'm late."

He's obviously Lyra's dad; he's darker than she is, but she has his eyes and his shy smile. He's also checking Raven out a little, for which she can't blame him, and she can't help finding it a little endearing.

"Looks like you guys were doing fine, though," he adds.

"Raven's going to show me how to take apart an engine!" Lyra says, grinning. "She has a _ton_ of them."

He raises his eyebrows. "Just lying around?"

"I'm a mechanic," she says. "So, yeah. I have a literal ton of old engines lying around." She offers her hand. "Raven. Bellamy's best friend."

"Ohhhh," he says. "Yeah, okay. I'm Wells. Nice to finally meet you."

"Same."

"I'd love to hear more about engines, but like I said, we're running late. You don't want to miss practice, right?"

"I do if I could go to a _real mechanic's garage_ ," says Lyra, like Raven's garage is the absolute coolest place in the world. Which, as far as Raven's concerned, is true, so she's not going to argue.

"I bet her garage isn't going anywhere." Wells smiles at Raven, and she feels a surprising tug of attraction. She doesn't tend to notice other people when she's in a relationship, but--it's a nice smile, bright and white. She likes a good smile. "I'm sure Raven will figure out a good time for you to stop by."

"Yup," says Raven. "Me and your mom and Bellamy are gonna talk about it while you're at soccer."

"Promise?" asks Lyra.

"Promise."

She offers her hand, just like she did to Clarke, and Raven shake its, sealing the deal.

"Yeah, you're really bad with kids," Bellamy says, once Wells and Lyra have taken off. "Total disaster. Shouldn't be trusted."

"Shut up or I won't teach her about internal combustion," Raven says, and Bellamy snorts.

This is the problem with best friends. They always know when you're bullshitting them.

*

"So, how's Bellamy's new family?" Gina asks that night. Raven doesn't have an official shift at the bar with her girlfriend, but she's usually there, so Miller doesn't care if she hangs around behind the counter. Raven likes it because she feels important, and if it's really dead she can finger Gina under her skirt and no one knows. "Are they cuter than we are?"

"Honestly, I think they might be. They're adorable. Clarke is this cute blonde who's completely head over heels for him, her daughter plays soccer and reads to Bellamy and wants to come learn about engines from me." She pauses, but she'd feel bad not mentioning, "And the dad is pretty hot."

"Yeah?" Gina asks. Her smile is mischievous. "How hot?"

"He's a software engineer with a nice smile and huge arms."

"Yup, sounds about right. So they've got your approval?"

"So far. And Bellamy's bringing Lyra over on Sunday, so you can meet her if you want."

"She's coming over? To our place?"

"She wants to look at my collection of spare parts. You think I'm going to discourage an eight-year-old girl who's really excited about the tool set she got for her birthday party?"

Gina laughs and kisses her. "When you put it like that, yeah, okay. Are we going to start babysitting?"

"Depends on how it goes on Sunday. But I assume we're going to continue to need Bellamy's supervision."

"Speak for yourself. I happen to be awesome with kids."

"Yeah, but I'm the one who has to keep her from getting crushed under scrap metal. I want a lot of backup for that."

It's not really sarcasm. As excited as Raven is to introduce Lyra to the exciting world of automotive mechanics, she is kind of worried about supervising an eight-year-old in what is essentially a scrap yard.

Her anxiety only increases on Saturday, when Bellamy texts, _Can I bail on you tomorrow?_

_No. You are not leaving me alone with a child._

_Not alone. I was gonna tag in Wells so I could get laid_ , he replies, and then, _You get laid every night, I'm on like twice a week. Be a friend. Wells is cool._

 _I would be a heartless monster_ , she admits.

_Got it. So you're making me come._

_No, Clarke is making you come. See you on Monday._

Wells and Lyra show up right on time, both dressed in work clothes. Lyra has her hair pinned up and stuck under an old baseball cap, and she's wearing an oversized basketball jersey, a pair of gardening gloves, and a very serious expression.

Wells, on the other hand, is dressed an old white t-shirt that's so worn it's nearly see-through and a pair of ripped jeans. Raven has an appropriate reaction to one of them.

"Wow," says Gina. "You weren't kidding."

Best girlfriend ever.

"Right?"

Lyra bounds up, all enthusiasm until she sees Gina and turns shy. Gina just smiles and drops into a crouch.

"Hey, you must be Lyra. Raven told me you have your own tool set, which is really good. I'm going to learn with you, but I haven't done this before, so I don't know what any of the tools are. You think you could show me?"

Apparently Gina really is good with kids, because Lyra perks up instantly. "Yeah! Do you want to see my kit?"

"I would love to." She offers her hand. "I'm Gina, I'm Raven's girlfriend."

"Nice to meet you," says Lyra. She remembers to shake Gina's hand before she pulls her aside so she can open up her toolbox and explain every item in it to Gina.

Which leaves Raven to talk to Wells.

"Thanks for inviting us over," he says, offering her a smile. "She's been talking about it all week."

"No problem, happy to do it. I wish I'd had a badass lady mechanic to show me her car shop when I was a kid. I get to be my own role model. Sorry you got roped into it, though. I hope Bellamy bought you a six pack or something."

Wells laughs. "I've dated a lot more than Clarke has, the last few years. It's more like evening the score."

"Yeah?"

"She's--I've done more casual stuff than she has, I guess. She's never been good at the whole dating thing. You know, meet someone, get dinner, see how it goes? I do that, she doesn't. She always falls hard. She had a girlfriend who went bad a couple years ago, and since then--" His smile is warm. "Honestly, I thought she'd just given up at twenty-five, but then Bellamy came along. I don't mind watching Lyra when they need me." And then he nudges his shoulder against hers, like they're already friends. "Besides, I don't know _anything_ about cars. It's kind of embarrassing. I was expecting my kid to be a nerd. That was a given with me and Clarke. But I'm out of my depth with this kind of nerdiness. I could use some hands-on experience."

"Well, you came to the right place," Raven says. "You got the basics down, babe?" she calls to Gina.

"I think Lyra can help me out if I get lost," Gina says. "Right, Lyra?"

"Yeah!" Now that Raven's back in the conversation, she's bouncing on her feet, practically vibrating with excitement. It really _is_ awesome. "Can I see the shop? Do you have any cars you're working on right now? Can I see them?"

"I can give you a tour, yeah. I actually got some stuff you can work on, though. None of the real cars, but some old busted engines we can take apart. Maybe even teach your dad a thing or two."

"He's better at computers," says Lyra, dubious.

"Yeah, well," Raven says. "He's never gonna be good at engines if he doesn't start learning. So let's see what we can do."

And it's actually really fun. Raven still finds interacting with _kids_ a daunting prospect, but hanging out with Lyra, girl who wants to learn about engines and feels that the more grease she gets on her shirt, the better her life is going? That's fine. Raven can relate. And it's fun showing Gina this stuff too, and even Wells. Not that Gina wouldn't have been happy to learn this stuff, if Raven had asked, but it doesn't come up that often. 

It's a really great afternoon, and when they're finished and everyone is a mess, it's easy to just say, "You guys want to come get cleaned up at our place? We can order pizza or something."

"You don't mind?" Wells asks. "We wouldn't want to impose."

"No, please," says Gina. "We'd love to have you."

"And then Bellamy will owe us," Raven adds. "As a bonus."

"When you put it like that, we're doing you a favor," Wells says. "You want to have dinner with Raven and Gina?" he adds to his daughter. She squeals, and that's that.

Raven texts Bellamy while Wells and Lyra are getting cleaned up: _We're keeping your gf's kid and babydaddy for dinner. You're welcome._

Bellamy responds ten minutes later, presumably because he was getting laid. _I knew you guys would get along._

*

Clarke, Wells, and Lyra become a part of their lives easily. They're rarely all together, but Raven still manages to see each of them with some regularity. Raven's shop is closed on Mondays, so she starts hanging out at Clarke's coffee shop with Bellamy and Clarke, and Gina, Wells, and Lyra will all drop by when they have time. Bellamy starts bringing Clarke to the bar sometimes for date nights, and they discover she's got a foul mouth when she drinks and can't keep her hands to herself, which is simultaneously hilarious and adorable. Bellamy's _so gone_. It's nice to be reminded Clarke is too. 

Sundays, Lyra and Wells come over to play with old car parts, and they usually stay for dinner. They get take-out and find old Disney movies to watch on Netflix, and it's kind of great. Raven's social circle has always been fairly tight--she's got Gina, obviously, and Bellamy, Miller and Monty, Jasper and Maya, Octavia and her boyfriend, before they moved. But the Griffin-Jaha family feels different, probably because they _are_ different. They're going to be Bellamy's family, which means they're going to be Raven's family. They're probably going to spend holidays together, most years.

It's been two months when Wells first shows up at the bar. It's Tuesday, pretty dead, and Raven is playing paper football with Miller and a couple of the regulars while Gina tries to perfect her ability to throw peanuts in the air and catch them in her mouth. They all tense at the sound of the door opening, and Wells grins.

"Relax, it's just me." He slides into the stool across from Gina, and it does weird things to Raven, when the two of them smile at each other. 

Really, everything about Wells is weird. Because he's--well, Raven thinks, if she wasn't dating Gina, she might be into Wells. And she doesn't tend to think like that. She's got tunnel vision when she's in relationships, but she _likes_ Wells. It's not the kind of thing she does, and it's nothing she knows how to deal with.

So, yeah. Seeing her girlfriend leaning across the bar to flirt with a cute boy she likes makes her stomach flip. Gina's great at making Wells laugh, getting him to relax a little, and Raven likes seeing that, even as it's totally surreal.

"What brings you out tonight?" Gina is asking, when Raven abandons the football game to sit with them instead.

"Clarke and Bellamy took Lyra to the movies," he says. "So I had an actual night off. I figured I might as well check out the bar, since I've heard so much about it."

"And do we live up to your expectations?" Gina asks.

"Oh, no way," says Wells, grinning. "Sorry. I have very high standards. You guys don't even have a dart board."

"They do," says Raven. "Don't knock my girlfriend's bar unless you know what you're talking about, Jaha."

"I'm going to need to see some proof, Reyes," Wells shoots back, and so of course they have to start a dart tournament, with Gina cheering on whoever's down, and Wells getting worse and worse over the course of _two beers_.

"I don't drink a lot, okay?" he protests. "I'm a very responsible parent."

"Who's taking the night off?"

"Bellamy's staying," he says, sounding a little wistful. "I can let them play happy family for a night."

Raven glances at Gina, isn't surprised to see her frowning too. 

"You're in the happy family, you know," Raven tells him.

"I know," he says. "I know. I'm not--" He makes a face. "I am not drunk enough to tell you about this."

Gina ducks out from behind the bar to hug him around the waist. He looks surprised for a second, and Raven wonders how long it's been since someone other than Clarke or Lyra gave him a _hug_. He said he dated before, but she's seen no evidence of it.

He relaxes and leans back into Gina, resting his head on her hair. 

"We're your friends," Gina tells him. "You don't have to be drunk to tell us what's wrong."

"And your tolerance is shit, so if you want to be drunk--" Raven adds, and Wells snorts.

As a comfort tag-team, she and Gina aren't bad.

"We're almost done," Gina notes, checking the clock. "And Monty's here, so I bet Miller would let me go early. Come home with us and tell us why you're stressed."

"I shouldn't--" he tries to protest, but Raven is having none of that.

"What else are you doing?"

So he follows them home, and Gina gets him set up on the couch, with herself curled around him and Raven leaning her head on his shoulder. Gina is an expert at cuddle piles.

"So, you think Bellamy is going to replace you?" Gina asks.

Wells groans. "I wish."

"Okay, not what I was expecting."

"No, not--" He sighs. "I keep thinking about what happens when they start getting more serious. And I'm _excited_. Not--I love Lyra. God, she's--I love her so much. And I'm always going to be her dad and I'd do anything for her. But if Bellamy moves in, I can maybe get my own place. And maybe Lyra comes for half the week or just weekends and--" With a frustrated sound, he drops his head back on the couch. "I can't even say it without feeling like the shittiest person of all time. That's my _daughter_. I love spending time with her. But--"

"Jesus, don't beat yourself up," Raven says, without thinking about it, and Gina laughs.

"You should listen to her on this one," she says. "Raven and Bellamy got to be friends bonding over shitty dads. If she says you're good, you're good."

"Yeah?" he asks, and it sounds so small.

"If Clarke and Bellamy broke up, what would you do?" Raven asks.

Wells frowns, clearly thinking hard. "Why did they break up? Did he break up with her, or did she break up with him? Did anyone get hurt?"

"Dude, it's a hypothetical. They mutually decided it wasn't working out. Cleanest, most amicable breakup ever."

"I'd be sad for her. And him. I like Bellamy."

"And would you leave?"

"What? No! I'm not leaving _now_. Just if Bellamy moves in or he and Clarke get a new place, I could get my own place. Somewhere nearby. I'd still be here, just--do you know how hard it is to date when you not only have a kid, but live with your kid's beautiful mother? Clarke spent like a month telling me how Bellamy was never gonna believe she wasn't into me. It's fucked up plenty of relationships for both of us. But I still feel like a dick for thinking I could move out."

"She's eight. She's probably old enough you could move out even if Bellamy doesn't move in," Gina observes. "You could just talk to her."

"And it's not like Bellamy is a replacement for you. She loves him, but she loves you too."

"I know. But I'd feel better if I wasn't leaving them alone."

"To move into your own place around the corner," Gina teases. She scrapes her nails against Wells stomach, and Raven feels like an asshole at her flare of arousal. They're having a serious conversation, but she's a little tipsy still, and she got a very vivid mental image of Gina taking off Wells' shirt. She should really, at some point, deal with this. But now is not the time.

"You're never gonna be a deadbeat dad," she declares. "Not even close. It's okay to be excited that Clarke getting a life means yours might get better too. And you're fucking twenty-seven, you're allowed to be excited about maybe getting a few nights a week where you can relax and forget you had a kid before you could legally drink."

"Like I said, Raven's the expert," Gina says. "You want to sleep on our couch?"

"If you guys don't mind," he says.

Raven doesn't open the garage until ten, Gina doesn't work until four, and Wells works from home, so he makes breakfast to thank them, and Gina kisses him on the cheek before he goes and tells him to talk to them sooner next time.

"At what point does this become weird?" Raven asks.

"A while back," Gina says. She gives Raven a much longer, more affectionate kiss. "Have a good day at work, babe."

*

Wells at the bar becomes part of the routine, and Raven actually feels a little bad about it. Not that she's sad to have him hanging out more, but she's not sure it's actually good for his social life. It turns out that bars aren't good for picking up dates if you spend the whole time chatting to the hot bartender and her girlfriend. Not that they're doing anything to scare people off or anything; just being there seems to be enough to make it seem like he's not looking for anything.

She doesn't actually realize it might be an issue until Bellamy asks, "How's Wells doing?" during their regular Monday hangout at Clarke's shop. Raven was kind of worried it would fall apart once school started back up, but they just moved it to afternoons instead of mornings. It's nice to be sure she'll see him once a week; she's glad he feels the same.

"Don't you talk to him? Shouldn't you know?"

"I meant at the bar."

"We're really increasing his alcohol tolerance. He's up to, like, college junior instead of high-school sophomore."

Bellamy snorts. "Yeah, that's what I was worried about."

Raven sips her tea; she always gets tea at Clarke's just to annoy Bellamy. She'd stop doing it if it stopped _working_ , but Bellamy is and always has been that kind of stubborn dumbass. "I have no idea what you're actually trying to ask me. Use your words."

Bellamy huffs. "Clarke wants to know if he's getting laid."

Raven's attention snaps to Clarke behind the counter, chatting with one of the teenage baristas. It doesn't give her any useful information, but it feels vaguely like a betrayal, having Clarke worrying about this. She doesn't really want to think about why.

"Seriously?"

"I think she feels bad that she has a boyfriend and he doesn't."

"Does he want a boyfriend?"

"He's pan, so he might want a boyfriend." Bellamy shrugs. "She was hoping he was gonna start getting a social life, but he seems to mostly just hang out with you guys and crash on your couch."

"What, we're not a social life?"

Bellamy takes a very pointed drink of coffee. "I assume he's not getting laid when he crashes on your couch. You'd probably just let him stay in the bed."

"Funny," Raven says, but her chest feels a little tight, and Bellamy's looking at her like he's not totally joking. "He hasn't mentioned any desire to get laid to me. And he's not trying to pick people up. Maybe he doesn't want a sex life."

"Maybe," Bellamy agrees. "Just saying, you're awesome at accidentally cockblocking people. You could put that shit on your resume. So--think about it."

She can't tell if he's actually trying to call her out or genuinely thinks she and Gina are maybe fucking Wells on the side, but either way, she feels bad, because Wells still wants a life, and she and Gina really might be getting in his way. He comes to the bar twice a week now, Tuesday and Friday, and while Tuesday isn't great for hookups, Fridays are always crowded, and Wells is a good-looking guy with a lot to offer.

"So, what's your type?" she asks him on Tuesday. Gina raises her eyebrows, but doesn't say anything.

"Sorry?" asks Wells.

"Your type. I'm pretty sure Clarke and Bellamy are gonna get to to cohabitation point by, like, Christmas, so you might as well start dating, right? You are at a bar."

He thinks about it for a second and then shrugs. "I don't really have a type. I just like _people_. I trust my instincts."

"Wholesome, and it makes it harder to wingman you. Good job." Raven glances around. "So, no one catching your eye?"

"I haven't really been looking. I don't come here because I want to hook up, I like hanging out with you guys."

"That's fine," Gina says, quick. "But if you want dates, let us know, and we'll help out."

"I guess I should be looking, right?" he says, with a soft kind of hesitance. "It worked for Clarke, it could work for me."

"You did say you dated more than she did," Raven says.

He rolls his eyes in a self-deprecating way Raven can't approve of. "That means I failed more than she did too."

"Yeah, but you've got Bellamy now. If anyone thinks you're pining away after Clarke just be like, here, let me introduce you to her boyfriend, a great guy I really like, who is totally in love with her. You're so unjealous about that relationship it even freaks me out."

"That's definitely what I want, freaking out potential partners."

"If you want to date, you should date," Gina tells him, in her _I make the decisions_ voice. Which Raven is used to hearing during sex, so that's awkward. "And let us know if we can help. But if you don't want to date, that's cool too. Don't let Raven get in your head."

"Thanks, babe," Raven says. She steals Wells' beer and takes a drink, because Gina hasn't refilled hers. "Look, I don't care, I just figured you maybe hadn't realized yet that you could be using this time to, potentially, get laid."

"Thanks for thinking about my sex life," he says, taking his beer back. "I'll keep you guys posted."

Raven feels itchy about it the rest of the night, even though nothing is different. She and Wells play darts, Gina commentates when she's not helping other customers. Wells goes home with them, makes no attempt to find anyone else.

Gina watches Raven with a gleam in her eye as she gets undressed, though, and before Raven can pull on her nightshirt, she pushes her onto the bed and kisses her, deep and wet.

They don't usually have sex when Wells is over. It's not something they ever talked about, but it always felt kind of rude to Raven, even if he'd never know.

"We need to talk about this," Gina murmurs.

"Making out?"

"Wells." She slides her hand between Raven's legs, rubbing gently. "We like him."

"You want to talk about this now?" Raven asks. Her eyes slide shut; Gina knows just how to touch her.

"We _like_ him." Her teeth scrape Raven's neck. "I want him. Do you want him?"

"Yes," she manages, on a breath. "I didn't--"

"Don't feel bad," Gina says. She pushes Raven's underwear aside and rubs her clit directly, faster and firmer. "We'll talk about it. But I couldn't stop thinking about it. Us. All of us."

Raven hasn't let herself think about that, not really, but as soon as Gina says it the possibilities explode in her head. Not just sex, because--yeah, she wants him, but it's more than that. She likes hanging out with him, laid-back nights hanging out on the couch, with Lyra or without her, Wells trying to teach them how to cook in his pajamas, big family dinners with Clarke and Bellamy. All these things she has already, that she thought she'd keep getting.

But he'd be theirs too. His mouth on her neck while Gina rides him, Gina fucking her with the strap-on while he fucks her mouth, all sorts of things. _Everything_.

"We'd have to keep him," Raven says, even though Gina knows.

"Yeah," says Gina. "That's my favorite part."

*

"So, it would be a lot," Gina remarks the next day. She's hanging out while Raven works on Mrs. Johnson's Volvo, handing her tools until the store actually opens.

"A ton," Raven agrees.

"Poly is complicated even without kids."

"Have you ever tried it before?"

"I had a threesome when I was in college," she says. "It was when I was still, you know. Figuring stuff out. I told my boyfriend I thought I might be bi, and he did that whole gross _ooh, that's hot, you should make out with a girl for me_ thing."

"Ugh. Dick."

"Yeah, I know. But you know how it was. It seemed safer than just--"

Raven slides out from under the car, pulls her down for a kiss. For all Gina's good with her sexuality now, Raven knows it was a long road to get her here. Her parents are conservative, and it took her a long time to accept that she liked women at all, let alone that she actually prefers them to men. She's still not out to her parents, and it's possible she never will be.

"I'm judging him, not you," Raven tells her. "You're good."

"I still feel bad about it. I started hooking up with girls at parties so he could watch, and he was so into it. So I figured it was fine." She grins, sudden and bright. "Then we had the actual threesome, I was a lot more into the girl than I was him, so I dumped him and started dating her."

"Nice. I love a happy ending."

"So do I. Hence dumping him."

Raven slides back under the car. "So, that was--first girlfriend was Mary, right?"

"Yeah. Good relationship, but I don't think it counts as poly experience."

"Nah. We should have had a threesome with Bellamy."

"Yeah, I'm kind of surprised we didn't. But too late now."

"The kid's a big deal," Raven has to point out. "And Bellamy's in it for the long haul. So if we screwed up with Wells, we'd still have to see him."

"Lyra's great. I wouldn't mind seeing if she can get some kind of world record for most parents."

"Three moms, two dads?"

"No waiting," Gina agrees. There's a pause, and then she says, "I want to try. I knew you were kind of into him, and I was too, but--when you asked about him hooking up with other people? Holy shit, I'm _really_ into him."

Raven laughs. "I got you jealous?"

"And you weren't even trying."

Raven considers, staring up at the car above her. It's maybe too risky, but--it just feels so _worth it_. And, really, why would Wells date anyone else if he could have _them_? They're awesome.

"Bellamy and Clarke are coming to the bar tonight," she finally says. "We can ask them if they think it's going to blow up in our faces. I bet you twenty bucks I can time it so Bellamy sprays beer out his nose."

"I'm taking that bet because I want to see it happen, not because I don't think you can do it."

"Aww, babe," Raven teases. "You know I'll do it for free."

*

Bellamy chokes, sprays beer out his nose, and takes about five minutes to recover from Raven's, "Hey, can we date Wells?"

Clarke pats him on the back and waits until he's recovered to say, "I think that's a question for Wells. We're not his parents."

"You did that on purpose," Bellamy adds.

"Yup. You did ask if we were sleeping with him. Kind of."

"Yeah, but I didn't think you were."

"We aren't," says Gina, sliding him a glass of water. "But we're thinking of starting. Think it's a good idea?" she adds, to Clarke.

"Yeah, this is less permission, more advice."

Clarke taps her chin, like she's really thinking it over. "What do you guys want from him?"

"Just him," says Raven.

"We like him." Gina grins. "Like the first thing Raven told me about him was that he's really hot."

"And you said I wasn't wrong when you met him."

"Well, you're not."

Clarke ducks her head on a smile, her standard _I love Wells and I'm glad everyone else does too_ expression. "That seems like a good reason to date him."

"What about Lyra?" Bellamy asks, sharp. "It's not just Wells."

"She's pretty great too," Gina says. "I like kids."

"I don't know if I could really do the, uh--the full mom thing," Raven admits. "But she's already got three parents without us, so I could do the cool aunt thing." It feels like her throat is closing up, so she adds, "I don't think I want my own kids. But I love yours, so--"

She feels Bellamy's arm wrap around her, the press of his lips against the top of her head. "I know. I was just checking."

"I didn't forget about your kid, asshole."

"I figured you were thinking about all the awesome sex you were planning on having, so--"

Raven shoves him off. "Jesus, I don't even know why I asked you."

"So you could make me shoot beer out my nose."

"Oh yeah. Never mind, worth it."

The next morning, Bellamy texts, _Clarke is worried I wasn't supportive enough last night, so I'm texting to say that 1. I support you, and 2. Clarke supports you so much she's stressing out about it. Also Wells really needs to get laid, so I'm glad you're having a threesome with him, because Clarke says it would be weird if we did._

_It would be weird if you guys did, she's right. Don't worry, we've got this._

_Selflessly having threesomes_ , he agrees. A few minutes later, he adds, _Seriously, I think this would be good for you guys. Hope it works out._

_Don't make it weird with genuine support, Bellamy._

_Sorry. I hate you._

_Yeah, I hate you too._

*

On Friday, Wells shows up at the bar as usual. There's a tension in his shoulders that slowly relaxes as neither Raven nor Gina mentions the possibility of his picking someone up, or maybe that's just Raven's wishful thinking. Still, he seems to get lighter as they chat and flirt a little, and Raven feels the spark of possibility in her stomach like she never has before. Of course, she's never done this before. It's uncharted territory.

Gina is off when the kitchen closes on Friday, and Wells follows them home, just like always. 

"That couch is going to kill your back," Raven remarks, when Wells flops down on it.

"I'm still young."

"A full year younger than I am, right? So young."

"Not even a full year."

"Raven's right, though," Gina says. Her arms are crossed over her chest in a way that really emphasizes how low cut her top is and how amazing her breasts are. Wells isn't looking at her, so Raven goes over to stand behind her, resting her chin on Gina's shoulder so he'll have to look. "You really are going to hurt your back."

"Are you guys kicking me out?" he asks.

Raven wraps her arms around Gina. "We were thinking we had room in the bed."

Wells jerks up at that, looking actually panicked. "What?"

"I told you we should have started with _We want to date you_ ," Gina says. "That just sounded like a come-on."

"It was a come-on."

Wells licks his lips. "Guys--"

"We think you should date us," Gina says. "We're awesome girlfriends."

"And Clarke said it was okay."

"You asked _Clarke_?"

"Not for permission," Raven says. Wells is watching them with an expression she can't quite read, but she can see him swallow when she nuzzles Gina's neck, so she does it again. "Just checking if she thought it was a good idea."

"Are you trying to distract him with how hot we are?" Gina asks. "This is a serious conversation, babe."

"I'm trying to remind him how hot we are. It's a major selling point. Also we're awesome, we're into him, and we already know and like his family and friends."

"But seriously, if you want to have this conversation when Raven isn't thinking about taking off my shirt--"

"I'm always thinking about taking off your shirt."

Wells looks down at his hands. "I don't mind. Just----this is usually the point in dating people where I make sure they get how weird my personal life is. But you guys know."

"Yup." Gina counts off on her fingers. "We love your daughter, love Clarke, understand that you and Clarke aren't a thing, think you're great. Want to make out with you." 

"Basically."

Wells laughs, flopping back on the couch and rubbing his face. "Seriously? If I fell into a coma and this is some sort of dream I'm going to be so upset when I wake up."

"If you fell into a coma, you've got different issues," Raven says. "But you're good. Gina got jealous when I said you needed a love life." She pauses. "I said you needed a love life because I thought it would help me stop checking you out. So, yeah. You want to date, you've got one kind of weird option."

"Kind of weird," Wells repeats, laughing a little. "When I met you I thought you were completely out of my league, and then I found out you had an equally gorgeous girlfriend too, so--we're not even playing the same _sport_. And you guys still wanted to hang out with me, and now you want to date me. It's not a weird option, it's the _best option ever_."

Raven feels Gina relax against her, and she nips her girlfriend's shoulder. "That's what I was thinking. So what do you think he's still doing on the couch?"

"Maybe I don't put out on the first date," Wells says.

Gina slides out of Raven's arms, gives her a lingering kiss before actually moving away, and leans down to plant one on Wells as she passes him too. He looks so shocked Raven nearly laughs. It's like he somehow _still_ hasn't figured out what this conversation is about.

"Well, _I'm_ going to bed," Gina says, once she's pulled away from him. "You guys can do what you want."

They both watch her go in silence, and then Wells turns to Raven, wets his lips again. "Seriously?"

"That looked like a pretty serious kiss."

He nods, gets up and crosses the room so he can stand in front of her. He's taller than she is, which she knew, but it feels different now. She _likes_ tall.

"If you're fucking with me Clarke's going to kill you."

She's tempted to crack a joke, but she needs him to _get it_. "We're not," she says, sliding her arms around his neck. "You should date us."

"Ever done this before?" he asks, soft.

"No. Gina has, but just the sex part. Not the dating part. But we're good at the dating part. Like now, we're dating, so you can just sleep in our bed instead of on our couch." She wets her lips, but it seems important to add. "Ideally someday it's just all our bed."

"So, really serious."

"Really serious."

She can see his smile shift as he starts to believe her, and when he leans in to kiss her, she opens for him without hesitation. She hasn't kissed anyone but Gina in over a year, and it's a little strange, feeling the rasp of his stubble and the firmness of his chest. He kisses slower than Gina, less pushy, but still in control. Still so good.

When he pulls back, she smiles. "You know, there's a beautiful girl waiting for us in bed."

He laughs. "Yeah, trust me. I know."

*

It takes some getting used to, dating Wells. It's not just coordinating schedules; there's an unexpected kind of imbalance too, Raven and Gina already a unit, Wells not sure where he fits in yet. He's new to the relationship, and they're not, and it feels almost like he's auditioning, the first time they try to have an actual _date_. And he _is_ auditioning, in a weird way. She'd known that she wasn't afraid of losing Gina in all this, but she hadn't quite realized how that would play out in practice: Wells is set up to do all the losing. She'd never for a second thought Gina might decide she liked him better and the two of them would leave her, and it's clear Wells didn't think that either. They all knew on some level that if it didn't work for Raven or Gina, he'd be the one left alone.

There's no good way to change that, but it helps when they all realize it's happening, and it becomes something they can talk about and work with. Gina and Wells start hanging out just the two of them on Saturday afternoons, when Raven is at work. Raven and Wells do their own date night on Friday, since Gina is working anyway and it's actually busy on Fridays, so she doesn't get lonely. They all still hang out together on Tuesday and Sunday nights, like they used to. Raven and Gina still live together, and he doesnt, but he starts spending more time at their place, even when they don't have anything particular planned.

It's not as smooth as just dating one person is. But it's _good_. It's better than just dating Gina, she realizes after a month, and it causes her first major freak out.

"I still think you're my _girlfriend_ ," is how she ends up trying to explain it.

"I still am," Gina says. Wells is doing family night with Bellamy and Clarke, so it's just the two of them. "What's wrong?"

"I still feel like it's us plus Wells, not us _and_ Wells. I was thinking I'm happier with the three of us, and that still feels kind of like--" She makes a face. She's never been good with the conversation part of relationships, and she's had to have a lot of them recently. "I feel shitty about it. It still feels like you're supposed to be enough for me."

Gina leans down to press her forehead against Raven's. Given Raven is lying in her lap, it's probably uncomfortable, but she doesn't seem to mind. "I would be. Wells probably would be too. But we wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't going to be better, right? If just dating me made you happier, you wouldn't be dating both of us."

Raven blinks a few times and then squints. "How are you so good at this?"

"Are you kidding? I'm a bartender. It's hard to find a relationship issue I _haven't_ heard about in detail," she teases, and Raven lets herself relax. Communication is key, right? She's not in this alone. She can just talk about it.

So she mentions it to Wells on Friday too, during their date night, and he laughs. "Yeah, it's weird, right? Not--it's not bad, I just never saw this coming. I've read so many poly websites and I still feel like I don't know what I'm doing half the time." His mouth is soft and warm when he kisses her, and she melts into it. "But it's good, right?" he murmurs against her lips.

"So fucking good," she says, and undoes his jeans so she can ride him.

Bellamy asks Clarke to marry him on New Year's Eve, and she says yes, of course. Part of Raven can't help thinking they haven't even been dating for a year; the rest of her thinks that Bellamy is the kind of guy who makes up his mind about people early, and that he and Clarke are the kind of people who _should_ be married. It seems stupid to wait, when it's so obvious.

All of her is fucking stoked for them.

"What about you guys?" he asks her, the next Monday. He's got an engagement ring of his own and he keeps fiddling with it; it's adorable.

"We're not getting married. It's too soon and also not really legal."

"I meant Wells. Clarke said he was thinking about moving out if we got engaged. Definitely when we get married. And I'm probably just moving in soon."

"I have no idea," Raven admits. After four months of dating, she thinks they have a pretty good handle on the whole thing. They feel more like a unit than a group of slightly mismatched parts. She loves Gina, and she loves Wells. "We still haven't told Lyra. I think Wells doesn't know what to say."

Bellamy nods. "Yeah, we've talked about that. Me and him and Clarke. She did well with me, but--"

" _Mommy has a boyfriend_ is a conversation they prepped her for. _Daddy has two girlfriends_ is--"

He shrugs. "I say it'll be fine."

"Yeah?"

"The awkward part isn't telling her. She loves you. She loves Gina. She'll be happy, once she gets used to it. The awkward part is when she tells other people and they're weird about it. You remember what that's like. Your dad was never around, so it was just normal. And then one day, you tell someone and they get quiet, and it's not normal anymore."

"Yeah," Raven says. "Yeah, I remember that."

He considers her for a minute. "You feel like a parent yet?" he asks, and she loves Bellamy too, so much. He asks that question just right.

"I don't know. I love her. I miss her when I don't see her for a few days. She fell asleep on me last night and it was awesome. I don't know how I tell."

"If Clarke and I died suddenly in a car crash, would you help raise her?"

"Jesus, that's morbid."

"If something happened to Clarke, I'd still want to be in her life," Bellamy says. "If Wells told me I couldn't see her anymore, I'd be pissed. So--"

"Of course I'd help," she snaps. It feels raw. "I wouldn't--she'd need me. If something happened to you guys."

"Cool," he says, sipping his coffee. "I think you're good. You guys should tell her and let Wells move in with you."

"When did you become the relationship expert?" 

"Don't be mad just because I'm right."

"I'm mad because you got competent at some point and I still don't know what I'm doing half the time."

"Yeah, but you're still smarter than I am." He grins. "Talk to your girlfriend and your boyfriend. Live happily ever after. It's not hard."

She has to laugh. "Yeah, definitely not. Simplest thing in the world."

*

Wells brings it up before she can, Friday night. 

"Clarke and I think it's time to tell Lyra."

"Did you tell her you're moving out yet?" Gina asks.

"Not yet. It depends on where I'm going."

They _have_ talked about this part, because it's weird for all of them. It feels like it's too soon for him to move in, but it also feels stupid for him to find another place, when he belongs with them. They've got a second bedroom, which is currently being used for storage, but that's mostly because Gina had a bunch of redundant stuff when she moved in and they didn't want to get rid of it right away, just in case. They could turn it into a room for Lyra easily. And their lease is up in May, so if it turns out the place is too small, they won't have to stay long. It could be good.

But the first step is telling Lyra; they'll figure everything else out from there.

"Yeah, moving in with Raven would probably be a plus for her," Gina muses. 

"She loves you too," Wells tells her, and Gina laughs.

"I wasn't feeling unloved. I know I'm not the one with access to used cars. I'm going to be useful once she hits puberty and needs relationship advice."

Raven laughs. "Yeah, not like the rest of us know what we're doing." She leans her head on Wells shoulder. "What are you going to tell her?"

"That I'm dating you and Gina."

"Wow, it sounds so simple when you say it. Did Bellamy give you his _she won't think it's weird until someone tells her_ pep talk?"

"Yeah, but I already knew that. I figure it's stupid to overcomplicate it. I'm dating you guys. I'm happy. She already knows we've been spending more time together, and she seems okay with it."

"Yeah?"

"I hope so. Like Gina said, I'm banking on her being psyched to move in with you. She'll get to live above the store. That's got to count for something."

"Always happy to help. You want us to be there?"

He looks so awkward, Raven almost feels bad for asking. "I was thinking just me and Clarke. It's--"

"It's fine," says Raven, leaning in to kiss him. "I get it. This is a big change from just the three of you, even more than Bellamy. I think it's a good idea to talk to her with just you and Clarke."

"We'll hang out around the corner with Bellamy being nervous," Gina says.

"You act like you're joking, but I know you guys," Wells says, dry. "That is exactly what you're going to do. We'll be sure to text you updates."

"Livetweeting telling your kid about your threesome," says Raven. "You're such a good dad." And then, because it's _Wells_ , and he worries about this stuff, she adds, "You really are, though. You guys are gonna go great."

Of course, they _do_ hang out around the corner while Wells and Clarke have the talk with Lyra. It's Monday, so Gina isn't working, and she, Raven, and Bellamy grab pizza and pretend they're not stressing out.

"Seriously, three moms and two dads," Bellamy says. "That's got to be good, right? Like, that's so many parents. One for every weekday."

"Yeah, that's what every kid wants," Gina says. "More parents."

"Raven and I did," Bellamy points out.

Gina rests her head on his shoulder, and he presses his lips to her hair. Raven feels a little funny, looking at Bellamy these days. It's so easy to remember him as the angry kid he was the first few years she knew him, first too wound up and then too unrestrained, a mess of pent-up frustration from all he'd given up to take care of his sister. She'd worried about him, for a while. And now he's gainfully employed, engaged to an awesome woman, helping to raise another kid, _happy_.

It's probably pretty similar to what he sees when he looks at her, judging from the smile he gives her when he catches her watching him.

"I guess when you have two shitty parents, at least you've got backup if one of them dies and leaves you to raise your sister," she tells him.

He makes a show of thinking it over. "Yeah, but double the homophobia. Biphobia. Whatever you'd get if you came out to them."

"I don't think they're advanced enough to know what biphobia is," says Gina.

"Yeah, but you've got a boyfriend and a girlfriend now," Bellamy says. "So maybe they could figure it out."

"We're gonna be a good parent group," Gina says. "No matter what Lyra does, we're going to love her and support her." She reaches over and takes Raven's hand. "That's why you'll be fine too."

"Plus I can teach her everything she needs to know about engines."

"As a bonus."

"As a bonus."

They're still like that, Gina on Bellamy's shoulder, fingers tangled with Raven's, when Clarke texts, _You guys want to come watch a movie?_

Gina doesn't let go of her hand, and the closer they get, the more Raven finds herself clinging. She doesn't want to lose Wells, but--she doesn't want to lose Lyra either. 

It's different from her and Gina, but he's a package deal too.

He and Lyra are on the couch, so Raven and Gina sit down with them, and Lyra wastes no time climbing into Raven's lap. She smells clean, like child's shampoo and laundry soap, and Raven brings her arms around her slowly.

"Hey, kid," she says.

"Hey. Dad said he was going to live with you and Gina."

"Yeah, I think he is."

"He said you guys love him."

"Yeah, we do."

"And me."

Raven kisses her hair. "Definitely you too."

"He said you guys were gonna make a room for me."

"Yeah. I mean, I know _your_ room is still here, but--we've got this extra bedroom we've been meaning to clean out, so you can have another room. And stay with us sometimes. I don't know if you figured out when. When you want. I figure it'd be kind of annoying to move around all the time and you already live here. Plus, the house is way bigger than our apartment, so we'll probably hang out here more."

"Nicer TV too," says Bellamy, sitting down on the floor by Raven's feet. "Overall way nicer than my apartment. That's why I'm moving in."

"You guys could move in here," Lyra tells Raven. "You could stay in Dad's room."

"There's a sitcom waiting to happen," Clarke says. She considers for a minute, but of course she just ends up in Bellamy's lap. Raven's not sure who she thought she was fooling.

"I can't live with Bellamy," Raven says, poking his shoulder with her foot. "We were roommates for a year. Never again."

"Why not?" asks Lyra.

"Just because of us. You'll be fine, don't worry. We just bicker all the time."

"Even when we don't live together," Bellamy agrees. He grins at Lyra. "I know it's gonna be different with me here and your dad gone. But your dad's room isn't going anywhere, and neither is he. They'll probably crash here tonight."

"Probably," Raven agrees. She hugs Lyra again. "You okay?"

Lyra considers for a while. "For the moment," she decides, and Raven smiles. Gina's curled up with Wells, Clarke is on the floor next to Bellamy, their hands linked.

Her family, miraculously. 

She repositions, keeping Lyra cradled against her but getting her feet stretched over Gina and Wells. "Yeah, good answer. I'm okay for the moment too. But if you stop being okay, tell me."

"You too," says Lyra.

"Deal," says Raven. She offers her hand, and they shake on it.


End file.
